A welcome message from our CEO
Adrienne Barnett
Waddi Mulli everyone –
The countdown to Christmas time is officially here as the last lot of school holidays come to a close – won’t be long now!
On the 1st and 2nd of October, 2026, we will be holding MARABISDA’s inaugural (first) Isaac Family Wellbeing Days in Dysart and Moranbah. We recognise that many of our brothers and sisters out West don’t have the luxury of being able to pop into the many services we have available here in Mackay, and we want to make sure that they know who we are and how we can help. We’ve invited all of the community’s families, as there will be other mainstream services in attendance also, including Act For Kids, DrugArm, Queensland Health, and ATSICHS with plenty of giveaways and activities for the kids. We hope we can bring some of the fun back to next month’s Newsletter. Thank you to Keely here at MARABISDA for all of her hard work pulling this together and liaising with Isaac Regional Council. We appreciate you big time!
Our main reason for existing here at MARABISDA is to support our families to be safe and strong – our mob are over-represented in the Child Safety system and we really need to recognise when there are families that might need a bit of extra help to make sure that they can provide that safe environment for their kids.
One particularly good resource for parents is Parentline on 1300 30 1300 or check our their website https://parentline.com.au/. If you just need someone to talk to or need further information about how can help, there is so much information available particularly on their website. If you don’t want to speak to someone on the phone, you can use their webchat function or join their parents’ forum online called “My Circle”. It always helps to know that you aren’t alone and any issues or struggles you have, someone else would be going through the same thing or have been through and come out the other end. 13YARN is also another a free, confidential 24/7 crisis support telephone service for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is run in partnership with Lifeline.
If you have concerns about a family and think they could use our help before Child Safety become involved, please don’t hesitate to refer them to our Indigenous Family Wellbeing Service or give Lee, Tiwi or Lyndon a call at our Family and Domestic Violence Service. You can visit our website www.marabisda.org.au for the links or just some further information about our programs and how we work in the community.
R’s
AB 🙂
Program Updates
Family Participation Program (FPP) & Indigenous Family Wellbeing Service (IFWS)
The Marabisda Sarina Playgroup commenced on the 19/08/26. The playgroup is held fortnightly and more families are becoming aware and attending.You don’t have to be a client of Marabisda as we welcome any family that wants to attend with their little ones. The Playgroup will be having important guests attending from time to time to provide some information to our families. This may include QLD Health Child Health, Centrelink and our DV service to name a few.It is a great environment to come with your little ones so you as parents have the opportunity to sit and yarn with other parents, build relationships, and learn about early childhood milestones.So spread the word as you are all invited to attend.
Mackay Connected Beginnings (Badi Yalobaga Yuribaya)
Spring has arrived, and Team Badi has been making the most of the beautiful weather and getting out and about in our community!We visited several Early Years Learning Centres, including Eden Academy Rural View, Mackay Christian College Early Learning Centre and Lady Gowrie Bucasia Community Kindergarten. We shared stories such as Our Flag, Our Story and Somebody’s Land, along with fun activities including collage and show and share of Torres Strait Islander items.We also stepped up our bubble game at Party in the Park, celebrating Child Protection Week with our friends — including some gigantic bubbles floating high above the park! 🫧A big thank you to Slade Point State School for inviting us to your Culture Day Concert. We were amazed by the deadly performances and the incredible talent on display!We also held our last playgroup for the term at Queens Park. Thank you to all our families who came along, shared a yarn and played with us. We look forward to seeing everyone again after the school holidays!Stay safe, enjoy the break and keep growing strong! 💚
Piccaninny Kinship & Foster Care
2/17 Macalister Street, we are also excited to share that Piccaninny’s Family Connection Safe Place Room is now up and running, providing a welcoming and supportive environment where children and families can come together for family conact visits. Together, we can help children stay connected with the people who matter most. ❤️
Delegated Authority
DA Team continue to work with our families, in and around our community with Family Connection Time.Recently our team supported a young sibling group celebrate one of the children’s birthdays by coming together sharing afternoon tea and most importantly cake and blowing out candles.It was a great afternoon of this sibling group to spend time together on such a special occasion.The beginning of many Family Contact Time being supported by us and carer’s.
Aboriginal Torres Strait Island Domestic Family Violence Service (ATSIDFVSS)
From July to September, MARABISDA’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family and Domestic Violence Support Service continued working towards its service delivery KPIs while responding to the needs of individuals and families across Mackay, Whitsunday and Isaac.The team supported clients with safety planning, counselling referrals, court matters, housing advocacy and practical assistance. Brokerage funding helped address immediate needs, including accommodation, food, transport, storage and removal costs. This support was particularly important for people leaving violence or facing housing instability.Community engagement remained a strong focus throughout the quarter. Staff connected with local services, attended stakeholder meetings and promoted the support available through ATSIFDVSS, including Weaving Stories – Our Women’s Journey of Healing and the Men’s Respondent Program.The quarter also highlighted the dedication of staff working with clients whose circumstances are often complex and urgent. Alongside direct support, the team continued to strengthen case management practices, timely client contacts and record keeping to help meet program requirements.We thank our staff and partner organisations for their continued commitment to supporting safer futures for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals and families.
Trading Tracks
We continue to celebrate our BDO, Shae! ❤️🎉 We couldn’t be prouder of our BDO, Shae Ridgeway, who recently travelled to Brisbane to represent Central Queensland at the State Finals of the Queensland Training Awards. Shae has had such an incredible year, being named a finalist in both the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year and Bob Marshman Trainee of the Year categories at the Central Queensland regional finals, and taking home the Bob Marshman Trainee of the Year Award. While Shae didn’t take home the win at the State Finals, making it that far is an incredible achievement in itself. We are so proud of the journey she has been on and the growth we’ve seen in her since joining the QTT team. It has been beautiful watching her step into her role, build her confidence and continue to shine. We’re so proud to have Shae as part of our QTT team and can’t wait to see where her journey takes her next. ❤️Our next The Yarnz Network will be held on 19 November. More details to come!